Ventilating means for vehicle bodies



Dec. 31, 1929. w. D. cRowELL VENTILATING MEANS FOR VEHICLE BODIES v Filed NOV, 24. 1928 Patented Dec. 31, 1929 1 1,741,502

"UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM '.D. CROWELL, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI VENTILATING MEANS FOR VEHICLE BODIES Application filed November 24, 1928. Serial No. 321,642.

This invention relates to devices of the kind tional View of a portion of an automobile that areused for Ventilating vehicle bodies. body equipped with a Ventilating means con- The main object yof the invention is to prostructed 1n accordance with my invention.

vide an eiiicient means for Ventilating a VevFigure 2 is a horizontal sectional View, 5 hicle body, that is of simple construction and taken on the line 2'-2 of Figure 1; and 55 of such design that it will not detract from Figure 3 is a side elevational View, illusthe appearance of the vehicle body on which trating another form of my invention.

it is used, In the drawings A designates a vehicle body I have herein illustrated my invention yemof the closed type, for example, an automobodied in an automobile body of the closed bile body, B designates a window that serves 60 type, but I wish it to be understood that the as a closure for an opening in one of the side invention is applicable to any type or kind walls of said body, and C designates a frame of a Vehicle body provided in one of its-side in which the window B is movably or adwalls with an opening equipped with a justably mounted. The window frame()` is closure that can be moved or adjusted so as herein illustrated as forming part of one of 65 to form a slot or space between one edge of the side doors of the body, but it is immaterisaid closure and an opposed portion of the al whether said frame forms an integral porframe that surrounds said opening. tion of the side wall of the body, or is vBriefly stated, my invention consists of a mounted insaid side wall in such a way that Vehicle body having a side wall provided with it can be moved relatively to the same. 70 an opening, a closure for said opening that In the form of my invention shown in Figis capable of being moved or adjusted into an ures 1 and 2 the window B is provided at its open condition, and a means that is adapted top edge with an upwardly-projecting extento co-act with said closure when said closure sion 1 which preferably starts at a point ad- J is in a partly open condition to form an eX- jacent the center of the window and termihaust slot or opening which is of such siZe nates at the rear edge of the window. If and location that the air rushing rearwardly the window B is formed from a sheet of relaover the side wall of the body when the vetively thick glass, as is the usual practice in hicle is in motion will create a suction or parthe constructionv of automobile bodies, the eX- I tial vacuum that causes air or gases to be tension 1 may be formed by an integral p0rlwithdrawn from `the interior of the body tion of said sheet of glass. When the winthrough said exhaust opening. Usually, the dow B is closed, or in its fully raised condiclosure for the opening in the side wall of the tion, the extension 1 is housed in a pocket 2 body will consist of a window arranged so formed in the top member 3 of the window that it can be adjusted or moved vertically to frame C. If it is desired to ventilate the body, form a space between the top edge of the winit is only necessary to lower the window B dow and the top member of the window frame .suiiiciently to produce an exhaust space or which extends transversely across the width slot between the top edge of the window B of the window opening, and the means thatv and the top member /of the windowframe 40 co-acts with said window to producesaid exlocated in front of the extension 1, without, 90

haust opening preferably consists vof an uphowever, completely withdrawing said exteni Wardly-projecting extension on the top edge sion from its pocket 2. The distance that the of the window, of less length than the width window B is moved downwardly to render of the window, that is housed in a pocket in the Ventilating means operative will vary acthe" top member of the window frame when cording to the height or depth of the exten- ,9 the window is closed, said extension serving sion 1, or accordingto the desire of the user. as a partial closure for the slot at the top edge I have found that if the extension 1 is prol of the window when the window is lowered portioned so that the top edge of said extenslightly `or in a partially open condition. sion will remain in its pocket 2 after the win- Figure 1 of the drawings is a side elevadow has been lowered sufficiently to produce 10 an exhaust slot m of about 1 inch in height, that the Vehicle body will be properly ventilated when the vehicle is in motion, due to the tact that the currents of air, represented 5 by the arrows s in Figure 2 that bank against the front side of the wind shield 4 of the body and then escape laterally at the end of said wind shield, will create a suction in flowing rearwardly across the exhaust slot x that is of suiicient intensity to cause foul air, gases and smoke, represented in Figure 2 by the reference character fw, to be withdrawn from the interior of the body through the exhaust opening 'In travelingaround the corner produced by the junction of the wind shield 4 and the side wall of the body, the air currents s ump the exhaust slot on account of its close proximity to said corner, and then flow inwardly towards the side wall of the 2o body, as indicated by the arrows in Figure 2. Such inwardly-flowing air currents, however, cannot enter the body as they strike'against the element 1 of the structure, to wit, the extension on the top edge of the window that is located at the rear end of the exhaust slot It is not essential that the element of the structure which acts as a partial closure for the space between the top edge of the window and the top member of the window fra-me be carried by or combined with the window. On the contrary, said element may consist of a downwardly-projecting extension or depending portion 1"l on the top member 3 of the window frame, constructed either of opaque or transparent material and proportioned so that when a window B provided with a straight top edge, is lowered slightly, as shown inFigure 3, a Ventilating opening w will be formed at the top edge of the window 4o extending rearwardly from the front edgeof the window opening and terminating at a point near the center of the window. When the window B is moved upwardly to close the same the element 1a is automatically, rendered inoperative, and when said window is lowered slightly, or moved into a partially open condition, as shown in Figure 3, the element la will become operative automatically to perform the function for which it is designed, i. e.,

to.-'r, jeduce the length of the space'between the .top edge of the window and the opposed member of the window frame suiciently to produce anexhaust opening through which gases and air can escape from the body of the v "vehicle without liability of airgentering the body through saidexhaust openlng.

In the case of an automobile body having a side. wall provided with front and rear doors, both doors may, if desired, be equipped C) with my improved Ventilating device, lbut I have found that a Ventilating means of. the kind previously described, when combined with one of the front doors of an automobile body of the sedan type causes the body to be effectively ventilated without subjecting the occupant or occupants to discomforting drafts, due to the fact that the' air which banks against the wind shield at the front end of the body and then flows laterally and rearwardly over the side walls ofthe body, produces a suction of suiticient intensity to cause foul air, gases and smoke to be withdrawn from the interior of the body without liability of air entering the body through the Ventilating opening or exhaust opening. Such a result cannot be attained with an automobile body of conventional construction. for when a door window, particularly a front door window, is lowered slightly or arranged in a partially open condition, currents of air: flow into the body over the top edge of the window, due to the fact that the slot at the top edge of the window is so long that some of the air which rushes rearwardly at the side of the body is bound to flow into the body through the rear end portion of saidslot. My invention obviates or overcomes this objectionable characteristic of conventional Vehicle bodies by providing an exhaust opening in the side wall of the body whose area and location are such that air rushing rearwardly over the side wall of the body will not enter said slot, but will produce a suction on same that causes the interior of the body to be maintained in a properly ventilated condition.

This, coupled with the fact that the means I use to attain this highly desirable result does not detract from the appearance of the bodyv of the vehicle, makes my Ventilating means far superior to Ventilating devices of the kind that have heretofore been used for ventilating vehicle bodies.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: i

1. lIn a vehicle body, the combination of a frame arranged in a side wall of the body, a vertically-adjustable window in said trame constructed so as to be capable-of being moved upwardly intola fully closed position to produce an imperforate panel for said frame, and an integral means carried by one of said elements that serves as a closure for approximately the rear halt' portion of the space between the top member of the frame and the window when the window is moved downwardly slightly for the purpose described.

2. A closure for an opening in the side wall .of a vehicle body, comprising a frame, a vertically-adjustable window in said frame, an upwardly-projecting'extension on the top edge of the window located adjacent the rear edge of same and being of less lengththan the width of the window opening in the frame, and a pocket in the top member .of said frame proportioned so as to receive and completely house said extension when the window is moved upwardly into its fully closed osition y so as toform an imperforate panel Ier said frame,

3. In a vehicle body, the combination ,of a window frame, avertically-adjustable glass panel in saidframe whose top edge is in contact with the top member of said frame 5 throughout its entire length when said panel is in its fullyraised position, an integral extension proJecting upwardly from the rear half portion of the top edge of said panel, and a pocket' in the top member of the window 10 frame that receives and 'completely houses said extension when the panel is in its`ful1y closed position. l WILLIAM D. CROWELL. 

